Electronic Structure Research on Lattice Stability of V, Nb, and Ta by Density Functional Theory

The difference of energy and electronic structure of V, Nb, and Ta in different crystalline structures were investigated by different methods in density functional theory （DFT）. Lattice constants, total energies, and densities of states of these metals were calculated using the plane-wave pseudopotential method in DFT. Results were compared with those of projector augmented wave method, CALPHAD method, and experiments. Total energy and electronic structure analyses showed that valence electrons mostly transferred from s to p or d state, changing obviously with both the crystal structure and the elemental period number from V to Ta and leading to stronger cohesion, higher cohesive energy and more stable lattice of heavier metals.

First-principles lattice stability of Fe, Ru and Os

Lattice constants, total energies and densities of states of transition metals Fe, Ru and Os with BCC, FCC and HCP structures were calculated by the GGA+PBE functional and the ultrasoft pseudo-potential plane wave method, and compared with those of the first-principles projector augmented wave (PAW) method, CALPHAD method and experimental data. The results show that the lattice stability of this work is △GBCC-HCP>△GFCC-HCP>0, agreeing well with those of PAW method in the first-principles and CALPHAD method except for BCC-Fe. And the densities of state of HCP-Ru and Os have an obvious character of stable phase, agreeing completely with the results of the total energy calculations. Further analyses of atomic population show that the transition rate of electrons from s to p state for HCP, FCC and BCC crystals increases from Fe to Os, and a stronger cohesion, a higher cohesive energy or a more stable lattice between atoms of heavier metals are formed.

First-principles study on the lattice stability of elemental Co,Rh,and Ir in the ⅧB group

Lattice constants, total energies, and densities of state of transition metals Co, Rh, and Ir in the VⅢB group with different crystalline structures were calculated via generalized gradient approximation （GGA） of the total energy plane wave pseudopotential method in first-principles. The lattice stabilities of Rh and Ir are ΔG^ bcc-hcp 〉 Δ G^fcc-hcp 〉 0, agreeing well with those of the projector augmented wave method in first-principles and the CALPHAD method in spite of elemental Co. Analyses of the electronic structures to lattice stability show that crystalline Rh and Ir with fcc structures have the obvious characteristic of a stable phase, agreeing with the results of total energy calculations. Analyses of atomic populations show that the transition rate of electrons from the s state to the p or d state for hcp, fcc, and bcc crystals of Co and Rh increases with the elemental period number to form a stronger cohesion, a higher cohesive energy, or a more stable lattice between atoms in heavier metals.

Lattice stability and the effect of Co and Re on the ideal strength of Ni:First-principles study of uniaxial tensile deformation

Using first-principles density functional calculations, lattice stability of γ-Ni under [001], [110], and [111] uniaxial tensions and the effect of alloying elements Co and Re on the uniaxial tensile behavior of γ-Ni were studied in this paper.With elastic constants and phonon spectra calculations, we examined the mechanical stability and phonon stability of Ni during the uniaxial tensions along the three characteristic directions. The results show that the mechanical stability and phonon stability of a lattice occurs before the maximum stress–strain point under the [001] and [111] tension, respectively.The effects of Co and Re on the ideal tensile strength of γ-Ni show a significant directivity： Co and Re have little effect on the stresses in [001] and [111] directions, but increases the ideal strength of the system in the weakest uniaxial tensile direction. Moreover, the strengthening effect of Re is significantly better than that of Co. By further analyzing electronic structure, it is found that the effect of alloying elements on the uniaxial tensile behavior of γ-Ni comes from their interactions with host atoms.

Effect of Intense Laser Irradiation on the Lattice Stability of Al_2Au

The structural, electronic and lattice-dynamical properties of the intermetallic Al 2 Au at different electronic temperatures have been investigated via density functional calculations. The results of electronic density of state indicate that, although its value changes considerably, Al2Au is still of metal with the increasing of electronic temperature. The acoustic mode of Al2Au gets negative which leads to lattice dynamical instability when the electronic temperature is beyond 1.44 eV. Moreover, with the increasing of the electronic temperature, the vibrational frequencies of the T1u optical mode (triply degenerate) of Al2Au at Γ point decrease first and increase then, the turning point is at Te = 1.40 eV. T2g optical mode at Γ point has a similar situation, but the turning point is at Te = 1.80 eV. The predicted melting temperatures of Al2Au undergo a sharp decrease from 1333K at normal temperature to 1172 K at Te = 1.8 eV after intense laser irradiation.

Lattice stabilities, mechanical and thermodynamic properties of Al_3Tm and Al_3Lu intermetallics under high pressure from first-principles calculations

The effects of high pressure on lattice stability, mechanical and thermodynamic properties of L1_2 structure Al_3Tm and Al_3Lu are studied by first-principles calculations within the VASP code. The phonon dispersion curves and density of phonon states are calculated by using the PHONONPY code. Our results agree well with the available experimental and theoretical values. The vibrational properties indicate that Al_3Tm and A_3Lu keep their dynamical stabilities in L1_2 structure up to 100 GPa. The elastic properties and Debye temperatures for Al_3Tm and Al_3 Lu increase with the increase of pressure. The mechanical anisotropic properties are discussed by using anisotropic indices AG, AU, AZ, and the threedimensional（3D） curved surface of Young＇s modulus. The calculated results show that Al_3Tm and Al_3Lu are both isotropic at 0 GPa and anisotropic under high pressure. In the present work, the sound velocities in different directions for Al_3Tm and Al_3Lu are also predicted under high pressure. We also calculate the thermodynamic properties and provide the relationships between thermal parameters and temperature/pressure. These results can provide theoretical support for further experimental work and industrial applications.

A universal multifunctional dual cation doping strategy towards stabilized ultra-high nickel cobalt-free lithium layered oxide cathode

Ultra-high nickel cobalt-free lithium layered oxides are promising cathode material for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)because of their relatively high capacity and low cost.Nevertheless,the high nickel content would induce bulk structure degradation and interfacial environment deterioration,and the absence of Co element reduces the lithium diffusion kinetics,severely limiting the performance liberation of this kind of cathodes.Herein,a multifunctional Ti/Zr dual cation co-doping strategy has been employed to improve the lithium storage performance of LiNi_(0.9)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)(NM91)cathode.On the one hand,the Ti/Zr co-doping weakens the Li^(+)/Ni^(2+)mixing through magnetic interactions due to the inexistence of unpaired electrons for Ti^(4+)and Zr^(4+),increasing the lithium diffusion rate and suppressing the harmful coexistence of H1 and H2 phases.On the other hand,they enhance the lattice oxygen stability because of the strong Ti-O and Zr-O bonds,inhibiting the undesired H3 phase transition and lattice oxygen loss,improving the bulk structure and cathode-electrolyte interface stability.As a result,the Ti/Zr co-doped NM91(NMTZ)exhibits a 91.2%capacity retention rate after 100 cycles,while that of NM91 is only82.9%.Also,the NMTZ displays better rate performance than NM91 with output capacities of 115 and93 mA h g^(-1)at a high current density of 5 C,respectively.Moreover,the designed NMTZ could enable the full battery to deliver an energy density up to 263 W h kg^(-1),making the ultra-high nickel cobaltfree lithium layered oxide cathode closer to practical applications.

Ab initio energetic study of oxide ceramics with rare-earth elements

Ab initio energetic calculations based on the density functional theory （DFF） and the projector augmented wave method （PAW） for determining the polymorphisms of lanthanide sesquioxides Ln2O3 （where Ln = rare-earth element, Y, and Sc）, LnMO3 perovskites （where M = AI and Ga）, and Ln2B207 pyrochlores （where B = Ti, Zr, and Hf） were reported. The relative lattice stabilities agreed well with the critically assessed results or the experimental results except the C-type Ln2O3 with a cubic structure, for which the calculated total energies were considerably more negative. With the increase of the Ln^3＋-cation radius, the polymorphic structures showed a degenerative tendency. The tendencies and quantities of the enthalpies of formation of the ternary oxide ceramics synthesized from their constituent binary oxides reasonably agreed with the available experimental results, and valuable thermodynamic properties were afforded to the compound, for which no experimental data is available. The enthalpies of formation of both perovskites and pyrochlores tend to become more negative with the increase of the Ln^3＋-cation radius.

First principles study of ceramic materials(IVB group carbides)under ultrafast laser irradiation

Group IVB carbides have been applied in extreme aerospace environments as hard ceramic coatings; ZrC is being considered as a replacement for SiC in nuclear reactors. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the laser irradiation response of group IVB carbides is of clear significance. However, the existing knowledge on the fundamental properties of IVB group carbides is limited and insufficient with regard to both irradiated and non-irradiated characteristics. We investigate the effect of ultrafast laser irradiation on the lattice stability of ceramic materials （IVB group carbides） using the density functional perturbation theory （DFPT）. The calculated phonon frequencies of TiC and ZrC at the ground state are in good agreement with previous calculations and experimental values. The phonon frequencies of IVB group carbides are positive, even though the electronic temperature reached 5 eV. Thus, IVB group carbides are more stable under ultrafast laser irradiation, which has greater benefits in nuclear and aeronautical applications compared to metals （W, Na）, semimetals （Bi）, and semiconductors （Si, SIC）. The thermodynamic properties of ZrC are calculated as functions of their lattice temperature at different electronic temperatures. The elastic shear constants of IVB group carbides satisfy the Born stability criteria at Te = 5 eV. In addition, a comparison of the predicted melting temperatures of IVB group carbides, reveal that HfC is better suited for extreme high-temperature environments.

Photo-induced athermal phase transitions of HgX(X= S,Se,Te) by ab initio study

Ab initio calculations of lattice constants, lattice stabilities of HgX（X = S, Se, Te） at different electronic temperatures（T_e） have been performed within the density functional theory（DFT）. We find that the lattice constants of HgX increase and the phonon frequencies reduce as T_e increases. Especially the transverse-acoustic（TA） phonon frequencies of HgX gradually become negative with the elevation of the electron temperature. That is to say ultrafast intense laser induces lattice instabilities of HgX and athermal melting appears for the increase of laser intensity. What is more, with the X atom number increasing, the critical electronic temperatures of HgX are decreased in sequence. This result would be helpful for understanding the athermal melting processes for femtosecond laser micromachining.

Regulating local chemistry in ZrCo-based orthorhombic hydrides via increasing atomic interference for ultra-stable hydrogen isotopes storage

Developing a universal and reliable strategy for the modulation of composition and structure of energy storage materials with stable cycling performance is vital for hydrogen and its isotopes storage advanced system,yet still challenging.Herein,an ultra-stable lattice structure is designed and verified to increase atomic chaos and interference for effectively inhibiting disproportionation reaction and improving cycling stability in ZrCo-based hydrogen isotopes storage alloy.After screening in terms of configuration entropy calculation,we construct Zr_(1-2)Nb_(x)Co_(1-2x)Cu_(x)Ni_(x)(x=0.15,0.2,0.25) alloys with increased atomic chaos,and successfully achieve stable isostructural de-/hydrogenation during 100 cycles,whose cycling capacity retentions are above 99%,much higher than 22.4%of pristine ZrCo alloy.Both theoretical analysis and experimental evidences indicate the high thermo-stability of orthorhombic lattice in Zr_(0.8)Nb_(0.2)Co_(0.6)Cu_(0.2)Ni_(0.2) alloy.Notably,the increased atomic chaos and interference in Zr_(0.8)Nb_(0.2)Co_(0.6)Cu_(0.2)Ni_(0.2) alloy causes regulation in hydrogen local chemical neighborhood,thereby confusing the hydrogen release order,which effectively eliminates lattice distortion and unlocks an ultrastable lattice structure.This study provides a new and comprehensive inspiration for hydrogen atoms transport behaviors and intrinsic reason of stable orthorhombic transformation,which can contribute to paving the way for other energy storage materials modulation.

Stability of supersaturated solid solution of quenched Al–X(X 5 Zn, Mg, Cu) binary alloys

In this study, the changing trend of crystal-lattice constant and the influential factors of the stability of supersaturated solid solutions with various alloying additions in the Al–X（Zn, Mg, Cu） binary alloys were investigated. The samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction（XRD）,X-ray absorption fine structure（XAFS）, and scanning electron microscope（SEM）. It is found that the addition of Cu causes the largest change of crystal-lattice constant of the Al–xCu supersaturated solid solution binary alloy. The most dramatic change occurs in the initial stage of Cu addition.The change is stabilized thereafter. Also, at the same alloying element addition to the Al–X（X = Zn, Mg, Cu）binary alloys, the Al–xCu is the most unstable system.Influential factors of the stability include the lattice constant change and the type of alloying element. The larger the lattice constant changes, the more unstable the supersaturated solid solution is. The alloying element, easy to aggregate, often leads to the solid solution less stable.

Cation-mixing stabilized layered oxide cathodes for sodium-ion batteries

Sodium-ion batteries are promising for large-scale energy storage due to sodium's low cost and infinite abundance. The most popular cathodes for sodium-ion batteries, i.e., the layered sodium-containing oxides, usually exhibit reversible host rearrangement between P-type and O-type stacking upon charge/discharge. Herein we demonstrate that such host rearrangement is unfavorable and can be suppressed by introducing transition-metal ions into sodium layers. The electrode with stabilized P3-type stacking delivers superior rate capability, high energy efficiency, and excellent cycling performance. Owing to the cation-mixing nature, it performs the lowest lattice strain among all reported cathodes for sodium-ion batteries. Our findings highlight the significance of a stable host for sodium-ion storage and moreover underline the fundamental distinction in material design strategy between lithium-and sodium-ion batteries.